Honestly, that’s about all I know about them. Metal Archives is dry as fuck, therefore no help at all and the press kit was a bit slim, other than to tell me that some of the members played in a band called Toadeater, which doesn’t help me at all because I’ve never heard of them either.

Fortunately for everyone involved, In Selbernin Sprachen is a goddamn punch in the spleen. Raw? Oh hell yeah, this is raw as it gets without being four people in a basement with a four-track, and that’s only because the production is fucking spectacular, as is the exquisite cover art.

It’s the music that brings us together today, however. Straight out of the gate, there’s a sublime rumble as “Niebo I Ziemia” comes on with light keyboards and then… BOOM! With a roar, the blast kicks in, and immediately you’re swept up in the maelstrom; a volatile mix of Istapp and Blackbraid with some Lamp of Murmuur elegance. But this is a Raw Black Metal assault; where do these guys get off making a melodic, atmospheric… Raw Black Metal album? Urzikel don’t need your fucking permission! There’s a pervasive riff that propels the track forward at sonic speed, and even when the band is thrashing along in between vicious blasting, that main riff is there, ripping a hole in the fabric of time.

“Himmlischer Funke” is up next and it’s just as relentless, but here we get some raging female vocals that are absolutely crushing. There’s also oodles of emotion in this track, and that feeling leaks into the next track “Heiliger Kreis”, which is about as close to DSBM as Urzikel get. The first half of the song is, indeed, a bit on the depressing side of the coin. There’s this killer, reverb-laden riff that twists on itself while the blasts are swirling like a swarm of murder hornets. I get those Istapp vibes again and they’re totally welcome.

“Król Duch” blazes a fiery trail over a nightmare hellscape. The shouted vocals add a primal level to the music. Urzikel has created a fucking masterpiece, raw yet fully fleshed out. In Silbernen Sprachen is so good that it might be making me rethink my Year End List.

I cannot urge you enough to go get this angry sonofabitch. If you love Istapp and Endstille, hell, even Mystic Circle, then Urzikel is the drug you’ve been searching for.

But occasionally, we get sent a nice personal email or note from a small band simply asking for a review — maybe they have read the site or maybe not. Such is the case with Portugal’s Galväo, a duo composed of Pedro Pires (all instruments) and Sérgio Ramo (Vocals), both of whom are or were in a number of Portuguese bands over the years.

They have been productive since 2021, with 4 EPs and a full-length album to their name, but this is my first exposure to them, and it’s a pretty solid first exposure.

Uma Visão Derradeira  (A Final Vision) is 3 songs in 20 minutes of modern atmospheric/melodic black metal with a somber undertone. The material here would be right at home on Tradegy Productions out of Chile (Winds of Tragedy, My Dearest Wound, etc.). It’s a bit dissonant, a bit melodic, and a bit depressive.

The three songs are all solid, with the final two standing out a little more from the more consistently dissonant opener “Ruína e Perdição”, which has a certain Deathspell Omega vibe. The second and third (“Rumo ao Abismo”) inject a little more variety and some solid tremolo-picked riffs into the dissonance, for example, about 5 minutes into “Oferendas Fatais” or at the start of “Rumo ao Abismo”, resulting in an enjoyable but layered 20 minutes of modern black metal.

“Himsa” is a beautiful instrumental lead by Klara Bachmair’s haunting violin. This goes into “Kilakas Tongue”, as the music gets louder and louder in the mix. Oliver König (bass), Phillip Thienger (keyboards/guitar), David Kempf (drums), and Chris S (guitars), all join in on the fray, with the violin being played as well as keys. The pagan influence, with the various vocal tones and musical arrangements, is all played with much emotion. There is beauty in brutality with Firtan. And with lyrics: Breathing to commit sin, Loving to betray, Prevailing to give in, All hail isine and decay, the band is committed to make the listener think a little when reading the lyrics. Hence, the band has a greater punch to their lyrics, for more of the masses in the extreme metal scene.

“Ambrosia” is beautifully arranged, and with an early pinch harmonic scorching its way into our ears, I immediately smile. An intense gallop with the violin being prominent in the mix and adding that extra layer of black metal goth inspired heaviness. The harsh vocals give way to chanting, then the song gets into faster territory. The harsh vocals do have elements of death metal to them, which, goth-inspired, hit brutally perfect. The song has a variety of tempo shifts, ranging from brutality to atmospherics. The ending part of the track has a killer groove, and then the chanting returns, with the squealing violin entering in even more. Whew….I gotta catch my breath….give me a second… There is a lot going on with Firtan, on this album, with it being more expansive…a lot to take in. Ok ready..

“Ascension” is a seven minute number, beginning with more violins and then a plodding, doomy heaviness with that violin torching your soul. Brooding, depressive, and haunting. This is a seven-minute opening song, before the black metal vocals cut into the mix. The guitar riffing, I must point out, is pretty damn good and creative. The song slows down into ethereal atmospherics before the fast section erupts. It’s a bit jarring. It’s fast-paced, but not blasting. It’s pretty chaotic, as well as hypnotic, and the pagan vocals, at the five-minute mark, are most excellent.

“The Hierophant Way” at close to twelve minutes has so much going on, with the mid-paced section, than faster passages equipped with keys and violin. It’s breathtaking and moody. The song settles into a groove passage that hops about with the pagan vocals. Quite emotional, I must add. The song slows to an acoustic moment which is close to classical music, and guest vocalist, James Dorton (Black Crown Initiate/The Faceless/Ne Obliviscaris), lays down some deep guttural vocals, and this moment is terrific. The song ends beautifully and takes us into the “Shadows of a Dawn Unborn”, closing out the album. A song designed to please classical music fans with saxophones, beautiful female vocals, and an all around beautifully constructed pagan piece to bring this album to a close. Please make note there are various editions, one of which has a cover of Bathory’s “Man of Iron” from the Blood on Ice album. What a perfect ending, as the cover is an amazing rendition of that song.

Helios is one helluva an album by Firtan. Their most expansive one thus far and pushing their creative boundaries beyond what I though possible. At times it can be exhausting with the barrage of sounds and noises. There is so much quality going on pushesd this is in fact a most excellent album,thought requires repeated listens to fully absorb the material. Forward-thinking and most excellent.

There’s a certain type of magic that a perfect Black Metal album has; it comes after years of being scene leaders since 2004 and on their 8th full-length (that’s not including the vast catalog of Eps and singles; etc.) They’ve gained a fan in me;I have never really listened to them before except for maybe the odd song, so this is the first real time for me.

Six songs in 48:25 minutes, and each cut draws oceans of blood, starting with the title track. “Estuary” rises out of the darkness slowly at first, then come the blast beats; commanding and strident. A brief Thrash bit and it’s off to the races. As far as comparisons go, I get a huge Norwegian influence right away. But these guys are from beautiful Olympia, Washington; far from Norway.

Next up is “Knights of Tiamat” and it’s a brutal tempest right out of the gate of Babylon… Huge sound, and when the stomping turns to blasting, it’s fucking awesome. Shit gets nasty mid-track when they dial up the atmosphere to eleven; this will be the part of the show where the first half of the smoke machine budget will go. There might be fire columns as well.

This album looks and sounds amazing. Wolves in the Throne Room knows what they’re doing at this point in their career. USB , especially that made in the Pacific Northwest, has this otherworldly feeling to it. Estuary has a sense of foreboding to it, like at any second a Wendigo is going to materialize in your room. The blast is when the beast attacks and you know you’re fucked.

“Foretold in Reflections” has a cryptic, miasmatic, slow-burn method to its conqueror worm aspect. It’s also 9:54 minutes long and, to be honest, these aren’t short songs. But, good news! They don’t overstay their welcome. Yes, it’s almost 10 minutes long, but it doesn’t feel like that when you’re listening to it. “The Orca Cliffs” is next up and it’s a ripper right from the start, but then it becomes something otherworldly. Thrashing drums beat out a psychotic rhythm before it slows down at the 2:30 mark. Wolves in the Throne Room is a master of atmosphere, and this track displays that perfectly.

The last two tracks, “Ghosts Among the Obelisks” and “Wretched Spirits, Land of the Light”, are blistering attacks. The former starts out with some crazy effects-ladenguitar riding this ridiculous groove and some hellish vocals from Nathan Weaver. When the blast kicks in and the whirlwind picks you up and throws you around like garbage over a fence, this is such a vicious song, and it doesn’t relent for one second. The latter is the most Emperor-sounding song on Estuary. Especially Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk era. There are huge, stab-the-sky moments where you can feel the elements gather around your soul. It’s a huge “With Strength I Burn” section that burns with ethereal wrath and keeps the track going at the 4:22 minute point it slows down to a more Covenant,  In Times Before the Light (1997) vibe to it.

At the end of the day, Wolves in the Throne Room has created a gorgeous yet brutal album. I cannot recommend Estuary enough. The combination of lush, beautiful keys against utter brutal darkness is magnificent to hear. In a year that’s already seen a slew of stellar releases, Wolves in the Throne Room has unleashed a monster, and it would do you well to go get Estuary now.

I looked for all sorts of quotes about change when preparing to write this review. From Benjamin Disraeli to Heraclitus, but eventually settled on tech guru Robert Scoble, as the addition of inconvenience and opportunity seemed pretty apt for the 5th album from Germany’s Mental Cruelty.

The inconvenience? The band is no longer deathcore.

The opportunity? There is a whole new fanbase available.

If you heard the band’s 4th album, 2023’s Zwielicht, you already knew this was a very different-sounding band from the band’s debut, Purgaturium, as the band leaned hard into the ‘blackened’ element of blackened deathcore, but songs like “Symphony of a Dying Star” teased something more, something even more black metal-based and epic.

And now on Echoes of a Forlorn Land, the transformation into a full-on symphonic black metal band is complete.

Of course, if you follow the band and have heard the first three singles, “Helheim”, “Raise the Raven Banner”, and “Frost”, you were already clued in to the style shift, and of course the Viking/Nordic themes the album and songs were taking on.

But what you might not be ready for is how fucking good the band is at this new style and how fucking great the rest of the album is. Basically, it’s a whole album of songs like “Symphony of a Dying Star” (minus the breakdowns).

Whereas Zweilicht has about a 50/50 split between black metal and Lorna Shore -ish deathcore, with massive breakdowns and super deep guttural squeals, growls, and snorts, Echoes is a solid 95-99% melodic/symphonic black metal melodic death metal affair. Vocalist Lukas Nikolia has a 100% black metal/ melodic death metal rasp, and the riffs here are riffs you would hear on a Dark Funeral, Necrophobic, modern Hypocrisy, or even Anaal Nathrakh album. Then throw in the Viking gloss (in the riffs and the lyrics), including traditional Viking instruments like the Tagelharpa /Kravik lyre (which the band learned how to play); you can also get some Mithotyn and Thryfing moments to top it off the affair.

After the intro, “Fenrir” comes blasting out of the gates, with searing black metal riffs that would fit on any recent Dark Funeral album, then “Blood For Blood” ups the ante even more with utterly furious riffs that could have come from Anaal Nathrakh’s Eschaton.

The back third of the album might be even better. There’s the biblical/angelic detour of “Cry of Batariel” (one of the original 22 angels cast out of heaven), an absolute scorcher of a track that sees the symphonic elements cranked up to 11. Then there is the stunning end cap, “Flight of the Valkyries”, where, as you’d expect based on the song title, choral arrangements and orchestral arrangements come together over a simply stunning array of riffs, and even a stomping chorus/riff that would make Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth proud. It’s easily as good as “Symphony of a Dying Star”, still one of my favorite songs of the last few years.

I admit initially the first singles didn’t do much for me, until I got the promo and just embraced the album as a whole and fully realized there would be no deathcore here, and took the album for what it is; fucking fantastic. And when countless bands are leaning into the Lorna Shore sound (including Mental Cruelty themselves for 2 albums), I’m impressed by the fact that Mental Cruelty leaned away, and decided to forge a different path for this album. Now I’m just curious if they stick with the sound and Viking motifs for the next one.

Hardiesse (‘boldness, bravery’) is a duo consisting of Wynter on bass and vocals (Wÿntër Ärvn, Woest, ex-Aorlhac), and Hyver on guitar and vocals (Grylle, Véhémence, Hanternoz, Hyver, Tour d’Ivoire, Paydretz), so I had to check it out, and it was everything you’d expect it to be and what I hoped it would be.

Tristesse Vespérale is 5 songs in 22 minutes of regal, medieval French black metal that you would think would come from this duo. It’s triumphantly melodic and littered with tremolo-picked, heradic riffs, along with howls and chants. It skips the more atmospheric medieval instrumentation and interludes that some of their other projects deliver, and just focuses on rousing, shrill, jangly, shimmering riffs.

In particular, the rousing march of opener “Audace” and the ending trio of “Remparts”, “Soupirs” and “Sentinelles” really get your medieval black metal on and ready to charge the English at Agincourt. The vocals vary between an expected black metal rasp and a gruffer bellow, all adding to the overall mood. That said, this is less shimmery armor and armies of waving banners, but more like the battles in movies like Henry V or The Last Duel; more grimy, battered, and close-quarters combat, but it still has a heroic aura.

I’ll definitely be looking forward to an upcoming full-length, as this is an excellent teaser of the epic battles to come.

Once again we get the total package. The cover art and inlay are magnificent, and they convey the theme of the music contained within perfectly. The production is stellar, and every note rings out with equal parts sorrow and anger.

“Gakidô” gets things started and right away I can tell this is going to be something special. A different experience than 悪罪 (Akuzaï); certainly a different approach than that album. The band plays with tempos like a cat with a dead mouse; one second they’re wrapped up in a whirlwind of blasting and the next they’re doing emotion-laden Atmospheric Black Metal.

“Ningendô” is a slow, menacing track; it wraps itself around you in a bloody embrace. It’s got a nice Dimmu Borgir vibe to it, circa Spiritual Black Dimensions and Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. It’s an unbelievably heavy song (as they all are) and I can’t stop loving the fuck out of Kurogoku.

There’s a little bit of Cradle of Filth in “Tendô” especially in the keyboard-heavy beginning, where Enterré Vivant goes full-on epic Atmospheric Black Metal. The second half of the song is a full assault, not in the sense that there is a crushing wall of blast beats… more of a wall of brutal malice.

“Chikushôdô” starts out subtly; about thirty seconds into the song, it bursts out of the speakers to devastating effect. This song is over nine minutes long and doesn’t feel like it at all. That’s the magic of how Enterré Vivant compose their songs. “Jidokugô” is next, and it’s got one of those classic Black Metal riffs that make you nod along with the beat until the blast kicks your head in at the two-forty-seven point. Only to switch to a gorgeous, yet brutal as fuck track that literally takes your breath away.

This part of Kurogoku is a bit more European than the first half; there are Japanese flourishes and moments where it sounds like Sigh and Dimmu Borgir had a bastard offspring. I can pick out some Ukrainian Black Metal influences, definitely Norwegian but firmly rooted in the French Black Metal spirit. “Shuradô” is my favorite song from Kurogoku. It’s so goddamn heavy and emotional, the riffs that weave through the song and the flute(?) I think it is a flute… anyway, it adds this whole other level of gravitas to the album, that’s what I’m trying to say.

Is Kurogoku better than 悪罪 (Akuzaï)? Fuuuuck, that’s a toughie. 悪罪 (Akuzaï) used radio transmissions to great effect, adding a huge amount of emotional impact through the story of Hiroshima. Enterré Vivant don’t do that on Kurogoku, but it doesn’t need to be done. On their fourth full-length, they’re firmly rooted in the realm of Atmospheric Black Metal with nothing to prove.

The bottom line is quality, and that’s exactly what you will get with this release. If you like Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth and all things Atmospheric Black Metal, you’re in the right place. Go get this one now!

And on album number 4, the quartet (Farago – vocals,/guitars, Samael – guitars, Apophis – drums, Thanatos – bass) has done what most bands do this far into a discography: remained consistent in their sound so as not to lose fans, but developed enough for the fans to also be happy with the band’s growth. (We fans are a fickle lot)

One of the very minor changes is that the vocals of Farago have changed just a smidge; they are a little more shouty than raspy, reminding me a little of Nergal’s more recent Behemoth output (listen to the 4th track “Thanatos, Embrace of the Night”), and I think musically that’s also a pretty fair comparison, maybe mixed with a little Watain. It’s black metal, but it’s polished and a little burlier, with some grandiose, ritualistic vibes and a few keyboards and atmospheric segues (i.e., “Lux Fulget”, “Of Stones Sleep and Death” and “The Accuser”- both of which have some excellent piano work).

And while the opener “In Noctem” had me a little concerned – it has one of those ‘drop’ teases, but for black metal)- still, it’s mainly about solid, frosty, 6/8 melodic tremolo-picked riffs. For example, the true opener “Tabula Rasa”, the excellently melodic “Glorification”, and “De Profundis” (where Lethian of Nornír) also adds her traditional raspier black metal shrieks).

Closer “Hypnos, I See you” wraps up the fine affair with a mix of everything on the album’s longest track, and definitely leans into the newer Behemoth sound, and a sound I think Servant does very well.

Some parts Pain, some parts Aborym and a Blackened version of Skinny Puppy. This is a mechanized assault on the senses. Like the best Sci-fi horror game you’ve ever played (you know, if you’re into that sort of thing). The way the song titles are done is called Transmissions. I think that’s cool as fuck, and each one has its own identity that makes it an incredibly enjoyable sequence.

“First Transmission” gets the ball rolling with some huge Pain vibes; the vocals are otherworldly and unsettling. I love the autonomous nature of the effects on the display. The guitars are compressed to the point of being squashed under the cyber hellscape.

“Second Transmission” is like hearing the demise of a planet. It implodes, reconstructing itself with the noxious vocals supplied by members 040118180514 and 102119200914. No, I don’t know who is doing what because the male vocal is distorted to the point where it’s nothing but crackles and pops, and it’s countered by the harsh, female vocals that seem to howl from the outer world.

The “Third Transmission” and the “Fourth Transmission” are like bursts of kinetic energy, contained to a small, private place. The “Third Transmission” is a slow, crawling miasmatic space slug, while “Fourth Transmission” is a striding nightmare with some insane vocal antics.

“Fifth Transmission “ goes heavy duty on the Darkwave tip. It goes almost full-blown Hard Techno in the midsection of the song, sounding like a computer locked in its death throes. But it’s “Sixth Transmission” that is my favorite song on First Contact. It has a swirling, Dead Space video game tone to it, like right before the Necromorphs attack and rip you apart. The second half of the song is furious blasting, and I wish the drums were more pronounced; it is what it is, though.

“Seventh Transmission” is more of a classic Black Metal with some grinding electronic elements added for good measure. Endspace plays with tempos like a cat with a dead mouse. Therefore, “Seventh Transmission” has some lunatic vocals that sound like a robot on acid.

“Eighth Transmission” starts with some slow, plodding drums with the haunting keys in the background. It erupts into a supernova of violence with this cool as fuck riff that propels the track forward with galactic menace. This is unlike anything I’ve heard recently, and I fucking love that! Totally original take on the genre, unapologetically fantastical. Finally, the “Ninth Transmission” comes crackling through the speakers. Soaring vocals match the blasting drums hit for hit, and then it shifts tone completely and does some Space Jazz before the relentless blasts kick in. This is such a powerful album that I want to exist in the world it creates.

So yeah, I love First Contact. Endspace has created a Black Metal experience that isn’t afraid to experiment with mind-crushing brutality and subliminal Darkwave with Hardcore Techno sensibilities. If you like Thorns, Skinny Puppy, Suicide Commando and Aborym… you need to get this motherfucker now.

So now that everyone is all caught up with the back story and the future release schedule. How is this debut full-length and is it worth your valuable time? Well first of all, yes it is very worth your time. A melding of Dark Funeral and Marduk sounds good on paper and fortunately the way Mindvile execute said melding makes it extremely fun to listen to.

The production is massive and in your face and the killer artwork brings it all together. The total package will be absolutely killer, according to the presser and since physical media is still a popular format, it is not showing any signs of going away.

“Bite by Bite” is first and it’s a home wrecker due to the need to fling and flail yourself into the walls. These aren’t long, drawn out songs. They’re quick and to the point. “Predator’s Mask” is next and there are those Marduk moments I was saying come blasting in. Roller-coaster rides aren’t even this intense, to the point where it’s aural brutality; a literal assault on your sense of hearing.

“Unholy Task” and “The Evil Siren’s Tongue” have more of a Dark Funeral-ish vibe to them, especially the latter which could have sat like Baphomet on Secrets of the Black Arts or Vobiscum Satanas. “Lord of the Threshold” and “Judge, Killer and Executioner” are my favorite tracks on Old Continent. Go for the jugular, precision blasts and riffs that roll over your ass like a tank.

“Craftman’s Legacy” and “Cellarbound” round out the album in proper bombastic fashion. Both are fast as fuck, boy! Although they do play around with tempos, not just here; but across the album. It’s all about diversity in the end, anyway.

While Mindvile aren’t reinventing the Black Metal wheel any time soon, Old Continent is a competent album. I’m anxious to see what they do with this concept series and as long as they keep up the caliber of music I’ve spoken about here, it’ll be a banger.

If this sort of thing excites you then you should automatically pick it up. Do yourself a favor.

So now there’s a live album called A Beast to Praise and of course it’s good. There’s crowd banter, you can hear the whoosh when the fire pots go off, and Heljarmadr sounds phenomenal. As a frontman, he is among my favorite vocalists… plus he seems like a cool dude, all down to earth and shit.

I’m not going to dwell on the songs so much here, you’ve heard them before, and since there’s no need for comparison to other bands, I’ll just be commenting on the quality of the performance and the sound, shit like that, you know?

The first live album review I did for TOTD was for the Amorphis opus Tales from the Thousand Lakes – Live at Tavastia album. You can read it here if you haven’t yet; I’ll wait.

Okay, so crowd noise or anything to indicate that other people are in the room is what makes a great live album. Period. Kiss, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest have all released live music that has become the golden standard. Is A Beast to Praise as good as those? Hmmmm… no. But that doesn’t even matter because it’s capturing the essence of a veteran band who have nothing to prove, other than they are masters at what they do.

“Unchain My Soul” is first and it sets the tone perfectly. There’s crowd interactions and it lets you know that there is, indeed, a whole bunch of people there. They literally blast through their hiinteraction,track list is pretty fucking impressive (although my personal favorite, “Atrum Regina” is absent, but I’ve heard them play it enough when I’ve seen them so… it’s ok).

“Vobiscum Satanas”, “Let the Devil In”, “We are the Apocalypse”… every note, harmony, and bestial scream make it feel like you’re right there, front row; witnessing the spectacular essence that is a Dark Funeral show… the artwork is magnificent, and the booklet looks slick as f,ck.

They end the album with “The Secrets of the Black Arts” and “Where Shadows Forever Reign”; and then you walk out of your virtual venue to have a smoke before going back to listen to it again. A Beast to Praise is a solid live album, capturing an experience with the power of technology to deliver live blasphemy to the masses.

Go get it! This will tide you over while they’re hard at work on their next album (I’m assuming that’s what they’re doing. They could be playing golf for all I know). Anyway, what are you waiting for?

Terrestrial Hospice have been in existence since 2018 and have three full-length albums (including this one) Indian Summer Brought Mushroom Clouds (2020) and Caviary to the General (2023). Neither of which I have heard, so I’m going in blind here.

Omnicide: Chapter I starts off subtly enough. It’s a bit gentle, lulling you into a false sense of security. Then “Phosphasc Salvation” hits like a ton of bricks with a nice acoustic guitar intro that goes on for a solid two-minutes before a very Bathory “Destroyer of Worlds”-ish track begins to beat you and that’s before the blasts kick in, it strides along pretty confidently. There’s some epic shit going on around the six-minute mark, when this totally unrelated riff comes out of nowhere and elevates the song to this two-minute level for the solo.

Omnicide: Chapter I pours on the atmosphere like a black rain. “The Couloir of Despair” and “Call of the Void” bring to mind more of a Bathory meets Dimmu Borgir Black Metal attack. Whereas “Serpents in the Grass” and “Menace” hover on the cusp of Behemoth and Gorgoroth. I can picture that fancy chef guy sprinkling the band influences all over this album and Terrestrial Hospice make their sound not overly derivative of their peers. Which is a good thing because this album could have been horrible and not make me want to listen to it ever again.

“Depraver (Black Invocation)” has a lot of that atmosphere that I was talking about. It’s hard-hitting, and that’s really all you can want from a hellish blasphemy. The production could have benefited from a bit more emphasis on the drums in that they are sort of buried in the mix and when we’re talking about Inferno on drums, they need to be loud as fuck.

“Drowning Spirit” and “The Gospel of Obedience” finish the album with two elite flourishes. Both go heavy on the ambiance, and ratchet the brutality up for the last hurrah. All in all, I’d say that Terrestrial Hospice has done a super solid job with Omnicide Chapter 1, as it doesn’t reinvent anything; it’s good on its own merit.

So if you enjoy Gorgoroth, Dimmu Borgir and even some Thunderbolt, then you should trample orphans to make sure you get this album.

Weather aside, it’s ‘western’ black metal act, Sunscorched, that I’m here to talk about… I’m not Max Velocity, hahaha!

This debut album is called Blood of the Badlands, and let me tell you one thing straight away: they are NOT a clone of Blackbraid! These guys are in Arizona and Blackbraid are from New York, so there’s a difference right there. But their approach couldn’t be more different.

The first track is an instrumental called “Whiskey and Oak” it meanders along like a peaceful creek running through the desert, it reminds me of “Blackout Bar” by :Skull&Dawn: mostly for the swagger it has; like that of a gunslinger who has just won a duel in the streets of some shitty western no name town, leaving his opponent lying in a pool of his own blood.

“Stranger’s Land” should be enough to dispel any notion of Blackbraid worship. Where Blackbraid plays sort of a Swedish style of Black Metal (think Marduk and Dark Funeral), Sunscorched is more Eastern European than anything else in that they almost sound Finnish, on the Behexen and Horna path, but there’s also something else that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe when you listen to it yourself you’ll see what I mean.

Really quick, I want to talk about the artwork. I’m quoting from the release: “Visually, the album is anchored by Frederic Remington’s 1901 painting The Old Stage-Coach of the Plains, reinforcing Sunscorched’s focus on the mythologized American frontier, a world where movement, violence and isolation define existence.” That picture is cool as FUCK! It perfectly describes the music played on Blood of the Badlands.

“Slaughter at Camp Grant” balances tempos and emotional gravitas with an edge of Enslaved-style urgency as Sunscorched paint devastating tapestries across the Southwestern skies. It’s a violent track that is representative of the story being told. Next up is “Vultures that Circle my Grave” and this is one of my favorite songs; it’s a punishingly beautiful ode to loss, existence, and the human experience.

“The Gallows Tree” and “Thousand Year Drought” are sloooow, doomy… borderline DSBM on the scale of Happy Days. “Blood of the Badlands” literally starts off as a bloody stallion racing across the desert and ends up as a soaring eagle with wings of fire. The title track is a blistering whirlwind, an instrumental powerhouse, and it roars like thunder over a mountain.

I fucking love Blood of the Badlands. This album isn’t Blackbraid, and it doesn’t need to be, since there’s already a Blackbraid and they’re doing just fine, thank you very much.

I mentioned a few bands here, trying to help with the tags, but it’s your journey to take in the end. I recommend it, so go get it.

Holókauston makes me think of Incantation first and foremost. Onward to Golgotha and Mortal Throne of Nazarene more than any of their other albums. Holókauston has that sort of cavernous feel to it; Sedimentum comes to mind also, as well as Writhing. Its murky atmosphere resembles a Louisiana backwater dripping with pitch-black malice. But there’s also a Black Metal undercurrent, which is why vocalist Naas Alcameth describes Holókauston as a “heretical black opera forged in adverse esoteric and eschatological tradition” and “a madman’s alchemical experiment”.

“Hellmouth” is the opener, and it’s bursting out harder than Cronos, with a runtime of 10:33. This shit rips open wide swaths of the earth with how heavy this is. An echoing bell tolls, and right away there’s that murky atmosphere, pounding, body-shaking heaviness beyond heaviness. It gets ethereal at the 6:06 minute mark, where it takes on this whole other level of extremity… an epic fucking opener if there ever was one.

“Obscurator” is next, and there are blasts right away, no time to recover from the “Hellmouth” you just got shoved through. You’re in the fucking belly of the beast, baby. This is also the shortest track on Holókauston, coming in at a respectable 8:25. Near the middle of the song, it gets almost somber, but not by much. There are still violent whirlwinds in this oppressive storm just waiting to see the light of day.

“Howling” is the Christ-obliterating 11:09-minute third track, and it’s a fucking whopper! Slow, dripping menace like a bloody nose. It drags itself across a moldy earth before it goes completely off the rails with subtle ambience for about 2 minutes before returning to the soul-crushing heaviness. Screams echo from behind an awesome wall of sound, and it elevates this song to unbelievably huge heights.

Last up is “Iniquity”, and it’s a killer, raging track. Moving like a pissed-off bison towards an idiot tourist, it literally runs you over. You’re being gored to death by the most vicious 2000-lb wild animal whose sole intent is to get your ass out of its fucking territory. It’s a brutal, unrelenting way to say goodbye, hasta la vista motherfucker!

This re-release probably sounds better than the original, that’s usually the goal in these situations, and so if you liked it back then, chances are you will again. For those who like Incantation and knuckle dragging, Neolithic heaviness. Go on, then!

Four long years later, Ad Finem Omnia have returned from their Chilean tomb to unleash a new album upon this wretched world. Senectus Viae is the sophomore album I’ve been waiting for.

After I review something really good, I start looking forward to the next album. Some think I’m weird for that. “dude, the album just came out.” Yeah, I know. I’m just getting ready for the next big thing.

Is it worth the wait? Fuck yeah, it is! Here’s the rundown.

Beginning with an “Intro…” that segues into “The Hermit and the Wind” and we’re off to the races. Reminiscent of “In Defiance”, it builds towards the ultimate discharge, blasting interspersed with alternating Thrash beats. It gets atmospheric around the four-minute mark and continues that way for a good minute before the guitars rise up and take off with furious blasting as well.

Eight songs in forty minutes, and next up is “Inner Decay”, a no-frills atomic bomb that sets in to punish you for no reason other than it can. Ad Finem Omnia are veterans at this point, taking ideas from No Peace-No Dawn and expanding on them like memories on a theme.

“Anguish and Revelation” has a bit of a Darkthrone vibe to it, especially mid-track when the tempo shifts to a sinister blackness reminiscent of Ravishing Grimness and Sardonic Wrath.

Senectus Viae isn’t set on reinventing the Black Metal wheel and it doesn’t need to. Even on their second album, Ad Finem Omnia sounds like they’ve been doing this for years. The production is spot on, and the cover art is very representative of the violence contained within.

“The Leaf that Refused the Light” is epic and unapologetically atmospheric. The furious blasting at the beginning gives way to a solemn midsection before ripping off the bandages and sticking their fingers in the open wounds that are already bleeding from the beating you’re receiving. “Where Existence Fails” is up next, and it’s another exercise in brutality. This motherfucker is a bruiser, and I’m all here for it.

“Abolish God” spits venom and hatred towards all things holy, as it should with a title like that. The ending comes with the instrumental title track and it’s bloody awesome, twists and turns like the Nürburgring, and builds upon hypercar velocity.

I’m near the end here, and I’ve yet to make the important decision that must be made… is Senectus Viae better than No Peace-No Dawn? Or is the predecessor still the champion? I think it’s pretty well balanced. The latter had the immense power of “Vultures” and “In Defiance”, while Senectus Viae has the brilliance of “The Hermit and the Wind” and “The Leaf that Refused the Light”. That’s not to say that Ad Finem Omnia didn’t pour their souls into this masterpiece, because Senectus Viae is a fucking beast of an album. These guys have dropped a ruthless Black Metal album that needs your attention.

For the Darkthrone and Watain lovers out there, go get it!

I don’t even know where to start. I picked this one fine promo day, and unfortunately it has sat here waiting for me to listen to it. Today is the day, and I’m here to tell you, constant reader: you need to hear this. Especially if you are/were a fan of those odd Norwegian bands that came out in the 90s like Ved Buens Ende and Fleurety. This is definitely not your Impaled Nazarene or Horna or anything like that. This is a different beast altogether.

Back in 2021, Shadowy Peripherals was released and then… nothing. But over the course of those lost years, they grew from a trio to a quartet, which is where we are now. The production is stellar, the artwork is killer, and most importantly, the music is absolutely fabulous.

Starting with “Culprit Sunsets (To Chew on Darkness)” proves that this corpse has risen. There’s actually emotion in there that gives me the willies. It’s not all just blast and repeat; there are tempo changes galore, and it’s easy to get caught up in it all. There’s some Folk Metal, some Power Metal, plenty of Black Metal all pulled off with artistic flourish.

“Purple Storms (The Desert Unites and Cloaks the World)” is next and right away I can tell this is going to be a mind-scraping ride. This is nine tracks in forty-one minutes and fifty-one seconds, and I can cheerfully report that no song sounds like the other. This is what I’m talking about: balance. It’s a force of nature on Melas Khole; I want to absorb this album like a sponge. It balances the brutal with the beautiful, and takes you on an ethereal journey across time.

“Twinhearts (Fall from Grace Again)” is, at the beginning, an atmospheric stomper. Every note is given a singular purpose; the build-up to the last few brutal moments of this song is fantastic, and when it happens, it comes on deadly riffs and earthshaking blasting. “Melankolia (The Silent Acceptance)” slows things down considerably; it’s an emotionally charged bit of somber that washes over your mind and crushes your soul with its gravitas.

“The Redeemer (Smudged Flesh Withers)” ventures into Arcturus territory circa Sham Mirrors with angular riffs and a drum pattern that’s out of this world. “Revelations (Gone in Remembrance)” rages with elemental fury, demanding your full attention, and it grabs you and throws you into the wall.

“Echoes (At the End of the Rainbow)” has Arcturus on speed dial with this one; the off-kilter feeling pulls at your sense of equilibrium, while closing track “Hollow Minds Collide (In Ominous Wellbeing)” moves through space and time to open up the gateway to your mind’s eye, then gouges it out with pliers.

At the end of the day, you really need this album in your life, especially if you enjoy that period when Arcturus and Ved Buens Ende were introducing themselves to the unsuspecting world as a whole. Don’t sleep on this one!

Now here we are in 2026 with Swollen, In Flux, and it’s my first exposure to their weird brand of Blackened Death Metal. It’s a good thing I like off-the-wall shit, because these crazy Idahoans are here to wreak sonic mayhem, and I’m all here for it.

I’m just going to jump in the deep end and try to keep from drowning. “Intro…” comes and goes after 2:16, and then the best song on the album comes bursting out in pit-creating fury.

“Whence Blood No Longer Flows” breaks out these bad-ass sort of late 80s, early 90s riffs that grab the money and run. Around the four-minute mark there’s some nice solo blasting with intermittent atmospheric melodies that are fucking deadly. It’s something newer, and I think it’s pretty spiffy.

Seven songs in 35:22 minutes, and next up on the altar is “Every Flame Structured, Every Face Ablaze”, and it’s a fucking whopper, as well. It’s more of a Death Metal track than the previous, and the way Seven Chains weave their blasphemy between genres is fantastic to behold. The production is also nice and in your face. The drums are dual-wielded AK-47s, and the guitars have a vicious bite to them.

“A Declaration of Vengeance” is to the point, a beating from beginning to end. When Seven Chains lock into a groove they’re absolutely sublime, and this track is a pitch-black slab of Midwestern-style Blackened Death Metal.

There’s another “Intro…” not sure completely why, but whatever; “Gestating Ash (The Thickest Darkness)” is a late 90s Black Metal fever dream and it’s followed by the 10-minute “The Earth’s Tentacular Cross”. The perfect closer for Swollen, In Flux, it moves through tempos like a turbulent storm. I’ll be going back to check out their previous albums when I get the chance for sure.

I didn’t mention any sound-alike bands, and that’s because Seven Chains come to the table with their own set of tricks up their sleeves. Sure, I hear some Furze and a bit of Portal, and definitely Ved Buens Ende add in some True Mayhem here and there, ya go.

Swollen, In Flux is a fucking odd album, but it’s also refreshing to hear something that’s fairly original. So I’m recommending it; you know what to do.

And if there’s any band in the world of metal that can truly be broken down and so clearly defined by eras of their work, Moonspell certainly deserves a deep dive.

Portugal’s most famous and prolific metal export, Moonspell have made no bones about the fact that the band is in the twilight of their careers. While they’ve given themselves no specific expiration date, knowing that an inevitable end is in the near future makes every new release an even more fascinating listen – especially when you consider how the band has progressed and altered their sound through the years (I won’t waste time breaking down the band’s whole catalog AGAIN, just go here for the basics).

Appropriately, 2021’s Hermitage saw the band present a much more sobering, introspective sound that really did seem like a band coming to terms with their own mortality after years of some of their most bombastic and epic work (and also spawned an amazing live recording of the album from a show literally underground in a Portuguese cave – tell me that doesn’t fucking rule). It was a clear shift in the band’s approach, seeming to mark yet another new era in the band’s sound.

As it turns out, Hermitage was not necessarily setting the stage for a new era, but perhaps instead clearing it altogether to let the band cook with a whole new blank canvas. While the album’s first note on “Cross Your Heart” does indeed feature some of the bluesy, slide guitar flavors leftover from their last album, things quickly go completely vintage Moonspell. The Irreligious and Sin/Pecado vibes? OFF THE FRIGGIN CHARTS. I’m instantly thrown back to the first time I heard “Opium” and fell in love with this band. Everything from guitar tone to those dramatic synths to Fernando Ribeiro’s moody-as-fuck vocal approach just SCREAM a certain era of the band’s sound that we haven’t heard in about 25 years, and while I adore Moonspell’s more epic contemporary work, I’m tickled pink to hear this version of the band again in 2026. Chalk it up to nostalgia or whatever you’d like, it’s a fucking VIBE.

And it’s a vibe that only kicks into higher gear on “Far From God,” what with its whispered-word and synth-backed intro that makes me want to throw on some white foundation and heavy eyeliner and go dance around an abandoned warehouse with a bunch of other black-clad antisocials. It’s the unmistakably catchy sound of 90s and 2000s Goth Metal that made bands like Tiamat, The Kovenant and Theatre of Tragedy all the rage during that time. Even the production seems to be trying to cull some of that yesteryear magic. Yes, this sounds more polished, per se, than a release from earlier time periods may have, but the mix itself is spot-on for that era, with Fernando’s vocals coming in clean and clear, and given just enough effect to create an even more ominous, creepy atmosphere. The track is an absolute goth rock/metal anthem that should quickly become a fan favorite. Hell, throw “Promise of Light,” “For the Love of Mortals”, and closer “Reconquista” on your spooky Halloween Dance playlist too, each giving superb melodrama and theatrical panache.

But Far From God is far more fulfilling than just “vibes.” This is a thoroughly engaging and fulfilling record, with lush atmospheres and super solid songwriting that begs repeat listening. “Biblical,” the album’s first track to bring Fernando’s excellent harsh vocals into the mix, bears all the hallmarks of Moonspell‘s sound that you could ever really hope for, with building, earworm melodies that crescendo into a burst of energy that offer a cathartic release. And the song FUUUUUCKS in every sense of the word – speaking to a love so intense and forbidden that it becomes its own mix of ecstasy and tragedy. It oozes with tension and desire, and I’ll just say it – give this one a shot next time it’s go time with your, uh, special friend. Thank me later. Really, this entire album would make for an INTENSE night in the bedroom. Like, it’s not horny, per se, but every track just oozes with a kind of anxious desire and passion that should get you, uh, going, regardless.

Then there’s the superb “The Great Wolf in the Sky,” featuring some beautiful string work from Spanish composer Alicia Nuhro – it culls every bit of spiritual and mystical energy you’d expect from a track with such a name, and pulls in some of the more epic drama you’d expect on albums like Extinct and 1755, making for an intoxicating and immersive listen. It’s really everything you could want from a Moonspell track – drama, emotion, bombast in spades – it’s the kind of track that only a band with so much experience and confidence in their craft could pull off, and we’re all lucky enough to be around to see a band like this, after so long, continue to really shine. Ditto for “Our Freedom to Fall,” the album’s heaviest and, perhaps best track (honestly I think this is the best song Moonspell have made in a long time, which is certainly saying something given their pedigree). It’s just so perfectly crafted and put together, with infectious, doomy riffs and synths that just won’t relent, and Fernando deploying all his various vocal tricks and talents to create the album’s most dynamic offering.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect after Hermitage, and I certainly don’t think it was THIS, but you’re gonna get zero complaints from me. It’s not just a well-performed throwback, it’s a celebration of Moonspell through the years that any fan of the band should be able to fully appreciate and enjoy. Whenever Moonspell does call it quits for good, it’s gonna be a sad day – but I feel confident and content in knowing that the band will go out the same way the band always existed – on their own terms, and with their own unique voice. Far From God is easily one of my favorite albums so far this year, and I think over time could prove to be a classic, even for a band as decorated and beloved as this.

I wasn’t even sure if I was going to like it. It’s ugly, it’s abrasive, and that was after the first spin.

Many hours later…

Song titles are very useful to help convey the context of the album, so it’s no surprise that Nirriti have ridiculously long song titles. Esoctrilihum have some competition here. Take the first track “Mandukya, The Primordial Toad Croaks At The Outer Edge Of Sushupti”. First of all, I want a primordial toad; second of all, I want my voice to echo as Bhasma’s does. At first it annoyed the absolute shit out of me. Have you ever looked at your phone like it doesn’t have your best interest at heart? That’s how I looked at mine throughout the course of my listening… like what the fuck did I get myself into? But what ended up happening was I started to like it. Those drums are the battering ram of the gods, JFC!

This is what would happen if Teitanblood and Deathspell Omega were to sound like if they assimilated each other. Even Furze is probably thinking ‘goddamn, I thought my lyrics were indecipherable and obnoxious as fuck’! Not even close, buddy.

Dhrupad Anutpada (ধপদ অন$ৎপ&দ): Apophatic Ragas Of Non- Origination will kill you if given the chance. “In The Hallways Of Pure Existence, Freewill And Determinism Play Their Futile Game Of Chess” is absolutely nun-fucking insane. Blasting so savage that you’ll lose feeling in your arms and legs from swinging them around like a fucking idiot; you might end up in a coma, who the fuck knows? More importantly, who fucking cares? Nirriti don’t.

“One Foot On Samsara And The Other On Nirvana” is about as crazy as the title sounds. The amount of reverb that is used on the vocals is like an instrument in itself; that’s what almost sunk this battleship for me. They might do the same for you, I don’t know, I don’t control your life choices… You do you, buckaroo.

“Glissando Of Ever-Fleeting Moments As The Ephemeral Wheels That Carrieth The Chariot Of Perpetuity”… I had to look up what a Glissando is: ‘Glissando (from the Italian glisciare, meaning “to glide”) is a musical technique of sliding continuously or rapidly up or down a musical scale from one pitch to another’. Okay, that’s interesting. How that translates into the literal wall of sound that is spewing from my speakers, I have no idea, but there it is. These songs are endurance tests; thinking of them as weights for your ears to lift and get stronger is a pretty accurate way to describe the feeling.

“Golden Yolk of a Black Egg of a Multicolored Peacock” and “Vilambit Laya of Vitanda Mridangam Forewarns a Pan-Philosophical Defeat (Symphony No. 0 in Doom Minor)” are the last two tracks, and this is where the Indian music comes out proper. Below the howling wind vocals, there are Sitars and other crazy noises that bring the haunted sands to your living room.

To say that Dhrupad Anutpada (ধ্রুপদ অনুৎপাদ): Apophatic Ragas of Non-Origination is a challenging album might be an understatement. It’s decidedly not something you listen to if you want to chill out. I’ll admit that I was ready to hate it after that first listen. I stuck with it, and am I better off? That remains to be seen. However, I’m more inclined to recommend this than I was, which is saying a lot about my musical tastes.

Fuck it. Go get this slab of raging noise and blistering Black Metal if you like Deathspell Omega, Furze, Teitanblood and Thou Shalt Suffer… or some of the other spaced-out, cosmic devotees that make psychotic music like this. You’ll love yourself in the morning. Trust me.

The result is a pretty darn killer melodic black metal album that reminds me of fellow French solo artist Sühnopfer, but slightly less… ‘busy’, but certainly in that same super layered, shrill, but melodic wheelhouse, or a less medieval Passéisme.

I have not heard the prior three efforts, but I certainly will check them out, as Scholtès knows his way around a searing tremolo-picked melodic riff. That becomes abundantly clear towards the climactic ending of the opening track “The Sepulcher of Time”, where a gorgeously rendered arpeggio surfaces, and I’m fully vested in what the rest of the album offers.

Every track offers something to remember or go back to and relisten to. The layered riffs, subtle keys, as well as some cleverly layered vocal fx and clean singing, all deliver something brilliantly melodic and bitingly elegant. Whether it’s the blistering title track, or the familiar Immortal/ Abbath stomp that arises in the otherwise shimmering “Into the Shadow of the Falling Star”, the more moody, but still intricately layered moments of “The Last Cry of the Cosmos” (the riff at 4:40 is just perfect).

A sultry saxophone appears in “Wrath of the Endless Sea” and the almost nine-minute, varied and perfectly placed and structured closing track, “Inherits the Void”, just to keep you interested and throw a little curveball into the salvo of gorgeous, yet sharp riffs and structures.

The album sounds perfect for this style of music with a master from Spain’s Simon Da Silva, who has worked with everyone from Aversio Humanitas to Avulsed. And with all those thigns together, this is a must hear for fans of the style, and I will certainly be checking out the prior efforts.

Sinister Strain is their second full-length following the release of Charnel Heart (2019) and subsequent EP Through the Earth and Through the Sun (2019) and then… crickets. Nada until a trio of singles leads up to Sinister Strain, and here I am reviewing it. How is it? It’s ok. It’s certainly not going to reinvent the Black Metal wheel, by any stretch. But then again, sometimes things don’t have to be revolutionary to be enjoyable, which is about where Flykt is sitting here in this review.

Starting with “You Will Know Them by the Reek of Defeat”, which is like listening to brown noise, acting as an intro that is slightly off-kilter. It’s suitably ominous and sets up for “Transcendent Rebellion”, a pretty good blaster; it gets a bit Watain-ish near the end with some droning riffs. The production reminds me of Reign of Erebus and their HumanRacist album, communion wafer thin with the treble cranked and the bass somewhere in there. Just clinging on by a fingertip, more or less.

“An Uncarved Block” is reminiscent of Marduk circa Wormwood, which isn’t bad. I just can’t find the drums in there, as much as I want to; all I hear is snare… tap, tap, tap. Now on the other hand, “The Release and Descent” is a bare-knuckle beating. The drums are there, everything is right with the world in this track, and I think it’s where Flykt really stretch their wings out and the song is better for it. It’s brooding mood gets faster at the end till the blasting takes over and it’s catapulted into “Armed with Countless Daimons Seeking Abode”. It’s a Dark Funeral-ish diddy, battering ram drums competing with the fire-spitting guitars. There’s some cool shit going on around the 1:30 mark.

“Rebirth in the Name of Reprisal” has some killer riffs going on. Combative, stabbing, and rapier-sharp. “Unswerving Strife, Unyielding Will” is a pretty decent track; it plays nicely with tempos, one minute blasting hard and the next it’s slow and precise. Meanwhile, “A Furnace for the Stars” is a meandering instrumental track. It’s okay, not groundbreaking by any stretch, but it gets you ready for the 15:18 minutes of “There Comes the Light”. For the first 7:48 minutes of the track, it’s slow and then fast and then… instrumental for the remainder of the song. It’s meh. That’s all.

Seven years ago, Flykt released their debut album, and now they’re releasing their second album. It’s not a horrible album. But it’s pretty hit and miss, and at the end of the day I doubt I’ll be listening to it again after I turn this review in. For you people that like this sort of thing. You know who you are…

For those keeping track, this is their 8th full-length album, and it’s another feather in these savage Nordic horde’s cap. These guys have stayed true to the Black Metal philosophy and continue to shred the faces of non-believers. With this new album, Monolitt, Mork is set to cleanse the earth with some proper Norwegian Black Metal.

I covered Syv in these hallowed pages back then, and it turned out to be my Black Metal album of the year if I’m remembering correctly. It had this ritual nature to it, and Monolitt expands on that with crushing intensity and high-powered riffs straight out of Hell.

First track “Under vekten av verden” seethes with unholy rage. They lock into a Satyricon groove alá Rebel Extravaganza (“Filth Grinder” to be exact), and it’s off to the races. Those blast beats are delicious, benefitting from excellent production that literally shoves your face in its furious glory.

“Ødelagt” is quick as fuck at the beginning and then slowly devolves into a crawling chaos with a snappy riff that reminds me of Old Man’s Child on The Pagan Prosperity. These songs are so diverse and so deadly that merely listening isn’t enough… You feel them in your bones. “Torden” comes rising on a diabolical set of riffs, almost Emperor level, the disjointed riffing reminding me of “The Prophet” from Prometheus: the Discipline of Fire and Demise. It’s unrelenting mid-paced delivery is unholy point throughout.

Syv had some killer moments on it, and there’s even more killer moments on Monolitt than you can shake a stick at. Like the slow part in “Skrømt” is like wading through a poisonous swamp where everything wants to kill you. One second, droning riffs are swirling around your ears like there’s no tomorrow, and the next peeling off blasting sections like a bandage from a septic wound.

“Ferdamann” crawls into your ears like the creatures in Star Trek 2. It’s slow-burning, merciless, and pure evil. This is one of my favorite tracks on Monolitt, it’s got a bit of a Gorgoroth-filled center… think Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam or anything from Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt.

“Inn I en annen saere” has an almost Dissection vibe to it, circa Reinkaos, with maybe a smidgen of Gorgoroth added for flavor and Immortal to give it suitable gravitas. Oddly enough, for me anyway, I sort of hear the refrain from “Diary of a Madman”, that background harmony just makes sense in this context.

“Martyr” is my second favorite track; it’s got a Doc Martin on your throat and is ridiculous fun while being beaten to a fucking pulp. The battering ram drums, competing with the lumbering guitars, are pulverizing. “Jutul” has some of that staccato riffing and artillery shells going off around the 1:36 point where the song just fucking rips open a hole in the space-time continuum to a place where demons mosh while they tear each other apart and eat each other back to life in a spray of blood and gore.

“Utryddelse” plays with tempos like a deranged kid with a pile of severed heads. One second it’s like listening to the screaming of the damned, the next it’s Borknagar-esque rhythms that could’ve been on The Archaic Course/True North. These songs bleed with the spirit of Norwegian Black Metal, and Mork has created a magnificent Norwegian Black Metal album. I keep highlighting the Norwegian part because I don’t really hear any other influences (besides that Ozzy one). No Dark Funeral, no Marduk, no Impaled Nazarene… just pure Norwegian darkness. That’s what we’re here for, right?

Go get this motherfucker, trample over your neighbors’ children to get to the record store before they do. Monolitt is a fucking beast of a Black Metal plague unleashed upon this unsuspecting world!

…By the Word… is a bit of a slower-paced album than 2024’s…By the Shadows… (which I covered in these hallowed pages back when it was released) dot, dot, dot. Anyway, it’s a stirring album coming in with a respectable 39:55 runtime that doesn’t feel rushed or anything like that. This is more of a somber pace with some scattered blasting, but it is reigned in to almost sparingly here.

First track “When This Was Young” is on the slow burning side, it picks up some speed towards the end. This being a Trelldom album, there is weird atmospheric things going on in the background, but for some reason these sounds tend to overpower the drums so I found myself sort of squinting my ears to hear what they were doing.

“I Speak Forgotten Voices” is a faster track, incorporating some insane blasting into the mix near the end of the song, but before that is the build-up, and what a build-up it is; haunting shit is going on in the background, and I dare say I might hear a saxophone somewhere in there…

“This Moment the Life of a Memory” is furious out of the gate, but then it gets almost somber and stays that way through the remainder of the song. Not quite DSBM territory, but pretty fucking close to it. The title track has these scatter-shot drums that are slightly unsettling, and jazzy as fuck to boot… in a good way mind you. The only way to really describe it would be like two armies standing toe to toe, just hammering the shit out of each other. The saxophone squeals like a pig in heat, capturing the animalistic nature of the beast Gaahl has created, and it all coalesces in a ritual of destruction and blinding chaos.

“Folding the Mind” is my favorite on …By the Word… and it all starts with drummer Kenneth Kapstad slapping his drums around as if they owe him money. This goes on for about two minutes before things slow down and shit gets serious. It brings out that slow headbanging where the music feels like a physical force hitting in waves of bleak sorrow.

“The Word – Choose to Vanish” brings some more soaring, discordance and downright insane effects that defy any nature-based lifeforms to not get caught up in the swaying, evil wind that this ship of cold Black Metal supremacy is riding on. “In There Outside” is that song that is the perfect way to close the album. I haven’t mentioned any other bands in this review, and this is the song that is the most Gorgoroth-ish on …By the Word… landing somewhere around “Carving a Giant” and “Rebirth”. In between those diseased folds of flesh is where the answer lies.

…By the Word… is a nasty Black Metal album. It maintained a suitably Kvlt atmosphere that got palpable the more and more I listened to it. It’s a soul shredding creation and earsplitting at times. Is it better than …By the Shadows…? Not quite. But it stands on its own psychotic merit and that’s okay too. For you sickos that worship Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam and can’t get enough of the weirdness that challenges the concept of what Black Metal is in 2026. What are you waiting for? Go get this album.

But after three good albums, including 2022’s Erwachen, I didn’t see this coming, as Gram (grief or sorrow) is going to be one of my very favorite black metal albums of the year, and is in serious running for one of my overall albums of the year.

Gram is absolutely fucking killer. Despite its more somber overarching theme of grief, anger etc, it’s still melodic black metal at its heart. It has that triumphant, Véhémence, Passéisme, medieval style. Still, without some of the wispy, fluty, folky atmospherics (there are a few keyboards scattered around, but noticably less than Erwachen), this is just epic, searingly melodic riffs upon riffs. And the songs are a bit shorter and direct than on Erwachen – no 8 or 11-minute songs here.

It starts with “Geisterflug”, an absolutely fucking banger of a track and one of my favorite tracks of the year; the blistering, main riff is perfect, the rousing, militant marches and vocals (Baptist delivers an array of gruff bellows, traditional black metal rasps, as well as monk-ish chants) are perfect. It just rips.

But whereas Cnoc Ad Tursa slightly struggled to keep things going after starting their recent album with a scorching opener (“The Caoineag”), Atronos just keeps the excellence coming for the next 45 minutes with song after song of just downright epic, rousing, blood-pumping black metal.

I could call out each song, as most of the following 9 songs after “Geisterflug” are unskippable. But certainly the almost black ‘n’ roll gallop of “Ein Raunen im Sturm”, the varied stomp and blast of “Kummertreiben”, yet another melodic scorcher in “Knochen”, with its angelic clean vocals/keyboard climax, the haughty, bouncy “Mit Hass im Aug’ und Stahl im Blut” (the transition around the 2:34 mark is just amazing), the somber but blistering “Titanisches Erbe”, the varied, but still rousing gallops of ” Richtschwert deiner Sünde” and rollicking “In Ketten” (with some Garm -ish clean vocals), all kick all sorts of ass.

I just wish closer “Zorn” had been a more emphatic endpoint, as the sudden ( and jarring) falsetto vocals and more thrashy tones, while still pretty rip roaring, don’t quite end the album on the high note I wanted.

I sort of had the upcoming Vallendusk album already pencilled in as my favorite melodic black album of 2026, but Gram is certainly going to make that much more questionable, as it’s been getting more playtime than any other album, of any genre, in 2026 so far.

Featuring members of Finnish Black Metal royalty (True Black Dawn, and …And Oceans, to name two). Accelerated Death Impulse is a striking debut, and it’ll be interesting to see if AntiHuman Industries continues to album number two; for now, though, this album isn’t fucking around.

I used to think that Industrial Black Metal started and stopped with Aborym. Give me shit, I don’t care. I now know that there are numerous bands under the banner of that sub-genre, so yeah, I’ve been educated. AntiHuman Industries is as cold as the name sounds. I love their take on Industrial Black Metal and hopefully will hear more from them in the future.

That being said, they’re painting the walls with blood on “Loop of Cosmic Horror”, a merciless display of violence overpowered with battering drums and a guitar tone that sizzles like acid on bare skin. “Error: Human” is nihilistic as they come; the clinical level of extremity is palpable as AntiHuman Industries carve out furrows in your eardrums.

“Brain Noise” sounds kind of familiar… like the chord progression sounds like, and forgive me if I’m wrong, it sounds like “Towards the Pantheon” from In the Nightside Eclipse, but if it was played the way that Crionics covered “The Loss and Curse of Reverence”… at least that’s what I’m hearing. I don’t know about you. This is my experience, haha!

OK, so next track “Eerie Curiosity” is full-on guts-fucking Black Industrial Metal. That’s it. Put your head in a cement mixer, and you’ll get the physical feeling of this nightmarish song. The production on Accelerated Death Impulse is pretty fat; it hits hard when the moment calls for it, which is the whole goddamn album, honestly.

The title track is suitably raw, mirroring the sound that 1349 had on Liberation, the godly blasting reaches levels of unbridled ecstasy, and it’s followed by “Renounce-Resist-Revolt”, which has a mix of the True Black Dawn from the Blood for Satan album and Disciplin on Anti-Life. It shakes furiously, shrieking in reckless abandon.

“A.H.I. (Syndicate Dolls)”, is a magnificent My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult/Electric Hellfire Club Industrial, ichor-pumping dance track (yeah you read that right). “Lucid Dream” is like “Lucid Fairytale” if Napalm Death were Black Metal, it’s short and white hot fast.

Final track “Grief” is accurate to the stages one goes through. Some lovely female vocals start it off and it burns for a few seconds as it gathers intensity and then there’s the discharge and it’s full speed ahead, take no fucking prisoners.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Accelerated Death Impulse and if you love True Black Dawn, 1349, Crionics or E.H.C. you need to get this bastard of humanity now!